Rugby: England and Japan to host World Cups
Updated 9:50AM Wednesday Jul 29, 2009
.DUBLIN - England will host the Rugby World Cup in 2015 and Japan will run the tournament in 2019, the International Rugby Board announced this morning (NZT).
Approval from the board's ruling council was widely expected after Rugby World Cup Ltd. - the IRB-controlled company that oversees each tournament - last month endorsed England and Japan as the strongest bidders.
Board chairman Bernard Lapasset said 16 of the 26 IRB council members voted in favour of the English and Japanese bids during afternoon deliberations at a Dublin conference centre. Others backed rival finalists South Africa and Italy, which both placed bids to host either in 2015 or 2019.
England last helped stage a Rugby World Cup in 1991, while Japan will play host for the first time. Four years ago, Japan was the front-runner to host the 2011 World Cup but lost unexpectedly to New Zealand.
"The God of rugby smiled on us today," said Japan Rugby Football Union president Yoshiro Mori, a former Japanese prime minister.
His nation's bid emphasised the potential to win millions of new rugby fans in Japan, South Korea, Singapore - and China.
"Our goal 'The globalization of rugby' is getting closer to reality," Mori said.
However, IRB officials stressed that today's vote authorised Japan and England to stage matches only on their own soil. England's plans to include Millennium Stadiun in neighbouring Wales, and Japan's proposals to hold 2019 matches in Hong Kong and Singapore, would require separate submissions and votes.
Mike Miller, managing director of Rugby World Cup Ltd., said he expected approval for extending each World Cup into other countries "if it could enhance the showcase, enhance the finances and lead to a better tournament."
England Rugby Union chairman Martyn Thomas called England's 2015 win "a relief, and also great joy for England."
Thomas said 2007 host France had set new standards for facilities, crowd control, ticket sales and fan enjoyment.
"France raised the bar. We've now got to raise the bar again," he said.
Lapasset said England triumphed in part because its rugby union could offer particularly strong financial guarantees and impressive existing stadiums, crucial during a time of global recession.
He said Japan represented a great platform to promote rugby in Asia and keep expanding the audience and financial clout of a tournament first staged only 22 years ago.
England's winning bid proposes using Wembley, Manchester United's Old Trafford, Liverpool's Anfield and Arsenal's Emirates Stadium as venues, while Twickenham would host the final. The England Rugby Union projects it could sell 3 million tickets - 50 per cent more than the existing record set by France in 2007.
DUBLIN - England will host the 2015 Rugby World Cup, while Japan will stage the 2019 edition, the International Rugby Board (IRB) announced this morning (NZT).
The 26-man IRB council voted to ratify a recommendation from the World Cup board that England and Japan should host the next two tournaments.
Between them, England and Japan landed 16 of the 26 votes in favour of the recommendation.
The English Rugby Football Union beat competition from South Africa and Italy after submitting a bid that outlined how England's "low risk, high return" package is projected to generate 300 million pounds ($749 million) for the IRB, who rely on the tournament for 98 per cent of their income.
On top of the 80 million pounds tournament fee, the "mature" UK market would attract a further 220 million pounds in commercial returns from broadcasting, sponsorship and merchandising.
That figure is understood to be at least 20 per cent more than the bids from either South Africa or Italy and 50 per cent greater than France generated from the 2007 World Cup.
The IRB will bolster revenues from the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand - which is currently estimated to make an operating loss of between 20-30 million pounds - by tying television rights for both tournaments in one package.
Additionally, there was also a widespread desire for rugby to break new ground by taking the 2019 World Cup to Asia after Japan were controversially overlooked for the 2011 tournament.
Francis Baron, CEO of the RFU, said: "We have made a commitment to the IRB Council to host the most successful tournament ever, building on the outstanding success of France 2007 and what we are sure will be a great tournament in New Zealand in 2011.
"We will not disappoint them. We will host a festival of rugby that will fill our iconic stadia with excited fans and deliver a global platform for the game.
"We can't wait to get going and would like to thank the IRB Council for giving us this honour."
The 2015 World Cup will run from September 4 to October 17, when the final will be played at Twickenham.
Matches will be staged in 10 cities and the 12 stadiums chosen include Wembley, Manchester United's Old Trafford, Arsenal's Emirates Stadium, Liverpool's Anfield and Leeds's Elland Road, while the Millennium Stadium in Wales is the only venue being used outside England.
Lawrence Dallaglio, an English Rugby World Cup winner in 2003, said: "The world's best players will now have a chance to play in some of the world's best stadia and supporters can look forward to a feast of rugby. It's almost enough to bring me out of retirement!"
The last time England hosted the tournament was in 1991, when Will Carling's team were beaten in the final by Australia.
Hosting the 2015 Rugby World Cup is estimated to be worth 2.1 billion pounds to the British economy.
The tournament forms a central plank of Britain's so-called "decade of sport", which also includes the 2012 Olympics, the 2013 Rugby League World Cup, the 2014 Commonwealth Games and potentially the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown added: "This is a fantastic achievement.
"The Rugby World Cup is yet another tremendous event to add to the country's decade of sport and another chance to show our nation's passion for sport and what world class facilities we have to offer."
